Awakening

 DVD, Stargate Universe S2 (Awakening)

They weren't going to get back home! Because that would mean the end of the series. Or would it? If the series had lasted a few more years I could imagine them getting to the point where they finally power the 'gate and return home, but then come back to Destiny to take command properly. Some might choose to stay on Earth, new characters would join the mission and it would all be about the ultimate purpose of the ship. But sadly the series had its legs cut out from under it and never got to explore further ideas. A bit like Telford. He's left stranded on a seed ship with a bunch of aliens closing in on him. He's not dead, but I have no memory of whether he was brought into the story again - it'd happened before, characters getting stuck off Destiny when it goes into FTL, yet they still found a way back eventually. But this time it looks doubtful, and just when he was being a good guy, too. It was starting to become apparent that he was itching for command again - though no longer at loggerheads with Everett (he's on first name basis since they're of the same rank), he's pushing for more recognition, he wants to be in on whatever plan Colonel Young is making, he wants input, he wants to be useful, but at the same time he's also got a line to 'Homeworld Command' as they kept calling it, which means he can go over the leader's head - have they done that before, I don't recall if they stuck with Stargate Command or just never mentioned either name previously, but they really rammed it home this time (it would explain why we don't see Cheyenne Mountain any more, it's always the Pentagon).

Telford could have been a bit of a thorn in Young's side, so I'm surprised they didn't keep him around longer (if indeed he is gone for good), as they do like their interpersonal tensions on this series, not for them the light banter of past Stargate teams. Young doesn't like to explain himself, as any commander wouldn't, it undermines his authority and he needs obedience, or at least he does from the military, but it's also a civilian organisation so it's more complicated than that. As we've seen so many times the military is in control and Young will do whatever it takes because he's entrusted with the lives of all under his command, including civilians. But still, it may have been easier for him to lose Telford. Questioning his orders or simply not obeying them could have made things complicated, even if they were at a point where they trusted each other and had saved the other's life. There's also the issue of the loneliness of command, Young less able to talk candidly with those of his rank or above, though unlike Captain Janeway of the Voyager he could at least pop home if he needed to. But Telford might have been a sympathetic ear, though again, how far could he really trust someone that could be used to replace him? Much like Rush, someone who has capabilities and keeps his cards close to his chest through technobabble, though Young doesn't yet know how close - once again a man could have been saved if not for Rush taking matters into his own hands and moving the ship on. Last time it meant the certain death of Riley, this time the potential death and at the very least, loss of Telford.

Young isn't the only one who could have used someone to discuss things on the level of equal: TJ is offered an outlet by Chloe who sees the need for her to talk through the loss of her baby, but it seems she's more interested in Varo, leader of the Lucian Alliance prisoners remnant. His lieutenant, the short-cropped mean-looking guy fancies his chances with her, but she shows she knows how to hurt, not just heal - always beware docs and medics, they know the body's weak points! Young refuses to budge an inch on Varo and his people's incarceration, giving them no hope of ever proving themselves, and you can tell he's partly right in that since mean guy (can't remember his name if it's even been said), is so obviously never going to cooperate, but getting to know these people would be better than leaving them to rot in a room, because then he'd at least be able to understand who the honourable ones are, but he's got too many other priorities, not least using the seed ship's power to activate the Stargate home. It was a development to at least see another Ancients' ship. It may not have been that impressive on the inside, mostly constricted compartments and corridors like a submarine (and I'm usually one to love creeping round a dark ship), but the external visuals are great as ever, selling the size of both vessels well, a strength of the series.

Perhaps what is less of a strength, maybe even a weakness, is that they can do a lot in an episode, but at the same time not much actually happens: finding the seed ship was one thing, downloading data, the possibility of using its power to get home, but it's a lot of plot points happening and less character work being done. It's not that there's nothing, we have a number of scenes between characters, but the sum of its parts does somehow seem less in the end. They lose Telford and have the hope of a trip home cruelly ripped away from them, and that's about it. It could be that there are too many characters so we don't get enough on each of them (where was Lieutenant James, she's been very quiet so far this season?), and though I enjoy the less 'main' main cast, like Brody, Volker and Parke, we're not really learning much about them. It's a style, the serialised nature, but it does have its detriments. This time we get some aliens, at least, a rare occurrence on the series. They look a bit like the ones we saw last season, though squatter and armoured. Were they intentionally meant to look similar to the ones we left behind, this is another galaxy don't forget? The one that walked into the control room I thought was going to turn out to be a child from the passive way it acted, or the childish way it spat out the food it was given, plus those doe eyes and hugging its knees all gave it a childlike quality. It seems unlikely in retrospect as unless they were a gang of children they all looked the same and were certainly moving towards Telford in a menacing fashion. But maybe they'll turn out to be benevolent or less of a threat if we see them again?

Can't fault the tension which mounted as Telford tried to reverse the power drain with mere minutes to spare, and the CGI, be it ships or creatures - it was especially delightful to be afforded the chance to see the Stargate manufacturing plant within the seed ship (complete with meaningful music, though not the 'SG-1' theme or something that would have added nostalgic weight), as underwhelmed as Rush seemed to be by it. More Stargate lore would be good for the series as it can come across as merely incidentally within the 'Stargate,' well, universe! I want more legacy stuff (and we'd get it, at least two characters would be showing up later in the season), but I understand it needs space to tell its own unique story, just as 'Atlantis' before it had that opportunity, even if that, too, was cut short when it could have done with more years. They're certainly not shy about presenting a depressing worldview - Varo voices it this time as 'life is loss,' so definitely the glass half empty sort of man. It may be true, there's a time for everything under the sun, after all, but sometimes I think they need to remember they're not under the sun. Not that it needs to be light and frothy, or full of emotion (like 'Discovery,' say), but I want to see people overcoming their negative feelings and succeeding at things. They might enjoy it a little more.

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